Kudos to SONOPP Members and Friends

Over the past few weeks, a number of individuals have stepped up to make posts and get our message across on a popular wedding forum for area brides and grooms.

The site www.cleveland.com/forums/wedding is visited by hundreds of brides and grooms each week.  Photographers Mark Madere and Dave Eggert each responded to questions from brides on the forum.  In addition, the owner of Neo Imaging, Bert Allmenger, and Tamron executive John VanSteenberg, both made posts to inform readers and debunk some of the misinformation being propagated by brides and part-time photographers.

All of these individuals should be commended for taking the time from their busy schedules to help ALL photographers.  The survival of professional photography is in question in these changing times.  More photographers need to be helping to defend our beliefs by making posts on this forum.
 

Monitoring Local Message Boards

By Patrick Rice

In this age of instant access to information, many of our potential clients are turning to local wedding message boards to help select their wedding photographer.  As members of SONOPP, it is important for all of us to monitor the activity on these boards for a number of reasons.  First, we all need to diligently watch to see if any SONOPP member is being unfairly slandered on one of these sites.  Because internet posts are made instantaneously, all of us need to log on to these sites a couple of times each day to limit the damage that some anonymous individual can cause.

Second, these message boards give each of us an opportunity to promote SONOPP to brides across the area and potentially across the country.  Please don’t take the attitude that “Patrick takes care of that and his posts on the message board are enough.”  I get criticized on the www.cleveland.com board for constantly promoting SONOPP.  SONOPP would have much more credibility on these boards if more photographers start making posts similar to mine that promote our association to these visitors to the site. 

Last, these sites give each of us an opportunity to truly help area brides and grooms with all of their wedding planning.  Many of my posts are about DJs, reception facilities, florists and other vendors that they may be in need of.  We can make a positive impact on their planning and help them to have the wedding of their dreams.  Vendors are not permitted to make posts on www.theknot.com but we should still monitor what is being said on the board.  The Knot message board will remove posts if they are reported to them.  Vendors are permitted to post on the www.cleveland.com site.  Problem posts can be removed by clicking on the “Alert Us” button on the page.  The Cleveland.com wedding planner forum message board can be accessed directly at www.cleveland.com/forums/wedding.